Abraham Benrubi on "Miss Congeniality 2," "ER," and "Charlotte's Web"

Abraham Benrubi on Playing a Kidnapper in “Miss Congeniality 2:” Abraham Benrubi describes his character in “Miss Congeniality 2” not as a villain, but as “a troublesome oaf.” So what was it like working on this follow-up to the 2000 comedy hit? Benrubi says his experience was super fun. “Sandra Bullock’s a real gem of a lady. She’s smart and funny and generous and it was a really good time. I’m so pleased to be a part of it. But the highlight of it for me was Sir William Shatner, who I’ve just made a knight in my own mind. I was a huge fan of Shatner’s growing up and it was such a treat to beat up on him and have him beat up on me.”

His Fight Scene with Regina King and Sandra Bullock: “The fellow who plays my brother, Nick Offerman, and I get in trouble with the FBI and Ms. Bullock’s character and Regina King’s character corner us in the casino and we have a battle royale there, and they whomp us. It’s ridiculous how bad we are, actually. They‘re strong, tough ladies.”

The Difficulty of Holding Back: “Yeah, it’s definitely physical and difficult in that way. But it’s super fun, you know? It’s fun. It really is. Nobody is going to get hurt. We’ve got stunt people if it gets really dangerous. All was well with that, it was a blast.”

Why “Miss Congeniality” Fans Should Check Out “Miss Congeniality 2:” “Because it’s a lot of fun and it’s non-offensive. It’s got a good message of supporting your friends, of girl power, and being a strong modern woman.”

On Providing a Voice in “Charlotte’s Web:” “I did a little voice on the remake of ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ which was super exciting. They’ve got a bunch of great people. I play Uncle, the competitive pig at the end.”

Behind the Scenes of “Charlotte’s Web:” “I was with the director and the producer. I read with the producer Jordan Kerner and we had a blast doing it. I had worked with him before on ‘George of the Jungle’ so we had a little rapport. He got into character as Charlotte, which if you can imagine a man version of Charlotte it was great. It was a blast. Doing the voice over stuff is so fun. I’ve just kind of stuck my foot in the door this year and I’ve just been loving it.”

Why We Don't See More of His Character on “ER:” “I’m still there. You know, there’s a lot of characters on ‘ER’ and I’ve never been one of the more highly profiled characters so I still have a funny joke every now and then, and get a little exposition out of the way. That’s all. [We’ve been] renewed for two more years. I think we’re good through the year 2008. Unbelievable.”

Keeping “ER” Fresh: “It’s really the writers. The writers come up with a lot of new stuff, and a lot of it’s not fresh. A lot of it is out of stability. It’s what Jerry does, my character on the show. He provides certain bits of information that’s consistent. Every now and then he’ll tell a silly joke or do something insensitive or obnoxious, so it’s fun. It’s really in the writing.”

ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS FROM THE “MISS CONGENIALITY 2” PREMIERE:
Sandra Bullock / Heather Burns / Diedrich Bader / John Pasquin & Marc Lawrence
Premiere Guests – Shohreh Aghdashloo / James Denton / Kim Raver